Seriously, I used to LOVE the cold weather. First of all, I absolutely HATE being hot. Secondly, I love raking leaves. I love the snow. My birthday is in February. I love turtlenecks. Alas, after a few winters stuck inside with the kids, my love affair with winter has been ruined forever.
Well, enough of that whining. I have 3 little boys and we have to keep our sanity somehow. Here are some things we do to get some outside time during the winter:
- 20 minute walk. Sure, it’s cold, but you can totally bundle up enough to handle 20 minutes outside. It will be so worth it when the kids go to sleep at night!
- Scavenger Hunt. I love this idea! Here is the link to one I found on Pinterest.
- Bear hunt. “We’re going on a bear hunt, we’re going to catch a big one….” Pretend to go through the grass, river, mud, etc. My guys love this. It’s fun and keeps them focused on something when we take a walk.
- Chalk obstacle course! This is one of my favorite things. Draw arrows and shapes to make it simple or elaborate with puddles, bunny footprints, rivers, etc. Have a start and finish and they’ll be having fun!
- Embrace the weather. Build a snowman, find a good sledding hill, heck, my kids just like making tracks in the snow. Bundle up and go. I know it’s a real PAIN to get all the hats/gloves/snowpants/etc together but it’s worth it!
- I keep seeing cool things like giant frozen marbles, frozen bubbles, or families using inside toys in the snow like Mr. Potato Head.
- Just a thought of mine: we are so accustomed as adults to only venturing outdoors in the nice weather. Children truly need more outdoor time. I like to go to the park in the chilly weather because it’s not crowded, but it also makes me sad to see it so empty. The kids will be fine for 20 minutes, or even 30 minutes depending. Many of your usual outdoor activities can be done with the kids outside in 45 degree weather, you simply spend more time preparing to be outside and less time actually being outside.
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